Watering Alfalfa in Space

Fresh off reading Project Hail Mary, I’ve apparently become the kind of person who stops scrolling for space station crop reports. But honestly, this latest update from NASA is pretty fascinating because it connects space exploration with something much closer to home for farm country: growing food.

Last week aboard the International Space Station, astronauts spent part of the day watering alfalfa plants growing inside the station’s Veggie research facility. The experiment is studying how plants source nitrogen and survive in microgravity, all with the goal of supporting food production during long-term space missions.

The crew’s schedule also included a mix of cutting-edge science and routine station maintenance. NASA astronaut Jessica Meir studied DNA-inspired materials that could someday help doctors develop more precise cancer treatments, while other astronauts worked on quantum physics research, health monitoring, cargo operations, and even spacesuit repairs.

So yes, somewhere above Earth right now, astronauts are farming alfalfa while studying dark matter. Turns out agriculture may have a future that’s literally out of this world.